A pair of claiming paces for the highest-tagged horses racing at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania was held during the Sunday, June 21 twilight card.
The $21,831 claiming handicap pace for horses carrying prices between $42,254 and $56,338 went to the Art Official-Marthas Revenge gelding Art Of Revenge, who certainly did not have the easiest trip but still held on for the win in 1:50.1. The winner, second choice of the Pocono punters, was three- then two-wide past the quarter to get the lead, then had to battle with raw favourite Up The Creek (Braxten Boyd), coming off a win in this class. Art Of Revenge stayed steady in the lane, and Statesidelckdwn Gb (Anthony Napolitano) proved the biggest threat with his late rush carrying him to second, a head behind the winner and a length ahead of the favourite, who finished third.
Art Of Revenge ($5.20) was yet another winner for the track’s leading driver and trainer, Tyler Buter and Ron Burke, and he has been successful in three of his last four starts for owners Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. The seven-year-old is now 19-for-88 lifetime.
For horses tagged at $28,169, there was a $19,718 event, which was taken in wire-to-wire fashion by the five-year-old Lazarus N-Envious Hanover gelding Whiskey Breath ($4.80) in 1:52.2. Big Ego chased the winner from the pocket but came up a half-length shy to the Matt Kakaley-driven winner, trained by Darren Taneyhill for P T Stable. Black Edition N (Kevin Wallis) was third.
The two-year-old Stay Hungry-Twin B Dream Girl gelding Lykens Valley made a memorable career debut, closing well after coming very wide off the final turn and just nipping heavy favourite Wardensville (Tyler Buter), who used the Pocono Pike but missed by a nose in the 1:57.2 mile. Captain Jeremy (Anthony Napolitano) completed the triactor. Driven and trained by David Wiest and co-owned by David L. Wiest Stables LLC with Justin Wiest, Lykens Valley became only the fourth horse to pay triple digits to win at Pocono this year. He returned $102.60 as the 50-1 longest shot on the board.
Driver Matt Kakaley and trainer Joe Pavia Jr. swept the Late Double together; the two wins gave Kakaley four wins on the 12-race card to lead all horsemen. Pavia's two wins led the trainers. Tyler Buter also had a double.
Monday’s 1 p.m. card at Pocono will be highlighted by the $20,000 USD Game Of Claims Pacing Series final. None of the $20,000 USD base-tagged horses won in all three preliminaries, and the two horses who won two prelims were stuck with the outside posts in the eight-horse field.
(PHHA/Pocono)